How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!
My soul longs, indeed it faints
for the courts of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh sing for joy
to the living God.
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God.
Happy are those who live in your house,
ever singing your praise.
For a day in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house
of my God
then live in the tents of wickedness.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
he bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does the Lord withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts,
Happy is everyone who trusts in you.
Psalm 84 calls God’s children into true worship through the adoration of God and creation, one of the many lovely dwellings God has prepared for us. In God’s embrace we cannot help but yearn for God’s courts of praise and find our hearts singing for joy. We find ourselves acknowledging God’s love, protection, and provision for even his smallest creatures. Therefore, we are drawn closer to God, longing for a deeper and more passionate relationship with God and finding that trusting in God brings us freedom and joy.